Can China rise to the challenge to once again drive growth in global trade and a recovery in the shipping industry worldwide? The world’s fastest growing major economy fuelled the shipping boom in the last decade, and with Europe and the US continuing to struggle, China now more than ever holds the key to success for the next few years. 

The TradeWinds Shipping China conference has always been an excellent meeting place for maritime thought leaders and industry enthusiasts and in this much-anticipated Year of the Dragon, the conference will be in its auspicious 8^th year. To be hosted by NHST Events, the conference will be held in the Kerry Hotel in Pudong, Shanghai, from the 22^nd to 23^rd of May, 2012. 

The organisers have recently released the initial agenda, aptly themed “Will the Dragon deliver?” for the 2 day conference, which will cover both timely as well as timeless issues – from charter party disputes to banned VLOCs, the fate of shipyards to the liquidity conundrum. 

TradeWinds editor-in-chief Julian Bray notes “the Shipping China conference has always been an important event on our annual calendar, and this year more than ever, the industry very much needs a platform to discuss the process of surfacing from these extremely challenging times”. 

Currently confirmed leading shipping organisations involved with the conference include Pacific Basin Shipping, DNB Bank, DNV, ABS, Univan Ship Management, Grenland Group Asia, BNP Paribas and many others, this will once again be a not-to-be-missed opportunity for participants to engage with the most pertinent of questions and issues in today’s shipping world. 

Commenting on the arrangements, conference director Banu Kannu said, “the feedback from the market has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are confident of delivering a top-drawer event that will set the agenda for China shipping over the coming year”.  

TradeWinds Shipping China is initially sponsored by Rongsheng, ABS, Cargotec, GL, Rina, Wikborg Rein & Star Asia.